From Broadway To 52nd Street
The Fantasticks opened it season of 418 performances at the Sullivan Theatre on May 3, 1960. The musical starred Jerry Orbach, Rita Gardner, Kenneth Nelson and Tom Jones performing music composed and written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones. Most notably from the show came one tune that would inevitably land in the jazz annals of music – Try To Remember.
The Story: The parents of the boy Matt, and the girl Louisa build a wall between their homes not because of any real animosity but on the assumption that the best way to kindle a romance is to appear to oppose it. They even hire El Gallo to stage a mock rape so Matt can rescue Louisa and seemingly be the hero. The kids discover the parent’s ploy, fall out and go separate ways. Eventually, they return to each other, disillusioned but mature.
Jazz History: In the late 60s, jazz began to feel the full impact of the rock revolution. Important jazz venues shut their doors, major labels abandoned jazz to pursue rock, and many jazz artists left the country for better opportunities abroad. Jazz record sales plummeted as rock sales soared, and younger audiences increasingly chose the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, or the politically oriented folk music of Bob Dylan over jazz. New hybrids of rock and jazz developed as a result, some fueled by jazz players interested in rock and funk, others by rockers interested in jazz. A few late-60s jazz-rock acts like Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Chicago made inroads onto the pop charts, and some youth culture-oriented jazz artists like Charles Lloyd and Gary Burton scored with rock audiences. Numerous late-60s rockers, including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, and many San Francisco bands, also began to extend their solos based on the modal improvisations of John Coltrane and other free jazz innovators.
Sponsored By
www.whatissuitetabu.com